The television set-top box (STB) and its associated remote control allow a television viewer to interact with the television set. For example, the viewer may use the STB remote control device to have the television display a guide that shows the schedule of television shows available for viewing. Another example of interactivity, for STBs that provide video recording functions, is to interact with the on-screen guide to schedule the recording of television programs and to view the recorded programs at a time convenient to the viewer. STB interactivity is facilitated by the fact that STBs, which are associated with cable or satellite television service providers, provide a broadband network connection for the delivery of programming and services via the television set.
Satellite and television service providers have recently made available Video on Demand (VOD) services, which allow viewers to order pay-per-view programming, such as a movie, for viewing at anytime, independent of a programming schedule. A subscriber may order, stop, pause, fast forward, rewind and restart a movie or event in real time, on demand. VOD applications make use of local storage on a set-top box in the user's home.
Video games are another way in which people interact with a television set. Many popular video games require a specialized STB commonly referred to as a console or platform. Console games are often played with one or two controllers connected to the console, either physically (wire) or wirelessly. Most commonly, one player plays against the computer (housed in the console) or two players play against each other, with each player connected directly to the console.
Console games are stored on a machine-readable medium such as a CD-ROM, magnetic tape cartridge, or a memory chip (for saved games). To acquire the game, players typically purchase it on a CD-ROM, for example, place the CD in the console and load the game software. The game media are also available for rent just as are motion picture DVDs.
Many of the most advanced consoles and games allow for network play, also called online play, in which the player, through the console, logs into a network such as the Internet, and plays against other players in remote locations who are also logged into the same game. Even for online playing, however, the player has to have access to the game in a tangible medium, at least at one time.
Simple computer games such as card games like solitaire or video poker, and logic games like mine sweeper, are familiar to computer users. Modern video games and online role playing games, however, require a very high degree of sophisticated interaction and graphics display. A state of the art console game requires the display of dynamically interactive environments such as a jungle. A player-controlled character navigates through the environments. Artificial intelligence units such as enemy soldiers react to the motion of the player-controlled character. Complex on-screen menus display items such as weapons, camouflage, and survival gear. On-screen communication menus allow the player-controlled character to communicate with superior officers, technical experts and the like. Cut sequences of video reward the player with plot-advancing movies upon the attainment of a game milestone. Similar complexity is found in online role-playing games. The degree and sophistication of interactivity required by console video and online role-playing games exceed that of VOD applications or computer card games.
Console-type video games are typically played by using a game controller device that is connected either by wireline or wirelessly to the console. For the purposes of the present disclosure, a game console is deemed to be included in the definition of set-top box. Controllers convey instructions or commands to the controllable element(s) on the screen. Such instructions include, for example, horizontal and vertical movement, actions such as shooting or fighting, interaction with other screen elements, such as picking them up, throwing them or speaking to them, accessing game menus such as inventory items, maps and so forth, as well as game functions such as pausing the game, saving a game in progress, and loading saved games.
A popular form of video gaming is the networked multiplayer game. An online gaming server enables the networked game play. The customer/player starts their game locally, sets their preferences (such as skill level) and then requests a connection to the online gaming server. Once connected, the server groups the player with other online players based on their preferences. The games are played locally except that, to reduce the bandwidth requirements, updates on locations of other players are provided over the network connection. The online gaming service may be provided through the service provider's network, which also maintains the online gaming. Even so, there may be glitches in the game experience due to network delays.
Video Game on Demand server systems are available that stream game content to the user STB and execute controller commands also through the STB over a broadband network. Existing Game on Demand server systems, however, do not download the game for installation on the subscriber's set-top box. Rather, the game remains resident on the server, which processes the controller commands over the network. Accordingly, Game on Demand server systems consume broadband bandwidth during the entire play session.